Relic Space Review (PC): Taking the 4X Genre by Storm

Explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.

Those are the four pillars of what’s known as the 4X genre, a subgenre of strategy games that emphasized player choice. But instead of the player choice being something as simple as a branching narrative tree like you’d see in most dialogue-driven RPGs, in 4X games you’re deciding the fate of people’s lives.

Entire worlds and galaxies are in the hands of the player, and that’s what makes these games special. They give the player the ability to make decisions that are quite literally life or death for the inhabitants of the worlds they’re ruling over, galactic empires they’re presiding over, or starships they’re commanding.

Relic Space is a game in the 4X genre that puts you in the shoes of a starship commander exploring the solar system and looking to make a name for themselves by conquering it. This article will be a Relic Space review and an exploration of whether or not it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other 4X games. 4X Games rule.

Table of Contents:

1: History of 4X 2: Relic Space Gameplay 3: Relic Space Story Review 4: Graphics 5: Final Thoughts

History of 4X games:

The term “4X” was first used in the mid-1990s by game designer Alan Emrich, who was looking for a more accurate way to describe the games he was working on and playing other than just “strategy games”. While it’s true that the games he was developing such as Master of Orion and Galactic Civilizations had strategic elements, they also went beyond the typical trappings of the strategy genre.

Strategy games are typically small-scale affairs, involving military combat and or skirmishes between two or more opposing factions. Games like Triangle Strategy are a good example of this. It isn’t uncommon to see larger-scale military conflicts in games like the Warhammer 40K real-time strategy ( RTS ) series.

Early 4X games were heavily turn-based affairs that offered players the chance to slowly explore and uncover a map and start gathering resources. Through resource expansion, players would be able to slowly expand their base of operations further and further, taking over and controlling more territory on that map, and eventually becoming the dominant faction there or de facto ruler.

As new games were released and new ideas were implemented, the genre started to evolve, and become more complex. Sometimes this would come through trade agreements with existing factions that had been there long before the player set foot on that world. Other Times military conflicts would spring up that would require the player to use force to take over regions of a map or gain resources for themselves.

Over time, even more, innovations came to the genre, the most important of which was the inclusion of real-time gameplay. Previously, 4X games had been turn-based, but real-time combat introduced an entirely new way to play, while also increasing the complexity. In a turn-based game, you can think about what you do before you do it, and sit and plan your moves out well in advance. When playing in real-time, you have to think and react on the fly, so players had more to do. While that was overwhelming for some, for others, that was just part of the fun.

Relic Space Gameplay Review

Unlike the typical 4X game, Relic Space adopts a procedurally generated gameplay approach in the vein of roguelike games such as Hades that have been released in recent years.

Procedurally Generated Level Design Procedural generation is a gameplay mechanic that developers have been using to keep their games fresh and interesting every time a player loads the game up by creating a different experience every time. Most games are statically generated, meaning that levels are designed in both a consistent and a finite way. They are static, and unchanging after their level design has been implemented and finalized.

Procedurally generated games are created randomly. Certain core elements remain, such as the player, enemy factions, and the world as a whole. But the level design changes every time the game is started, the enemies you fight and the locations they spawn in, and even the activities present in the game are all randomized. The idea behind this is to keep the gameplay constantly engaging because players will never know what they’ll encounter.

This works very well in Relic Space because the core gameplay loop involves the player undertaking missions to help the faction they’ve chosen achieve their goal of expansion. The difference between most 4X games and Relic Space is that there is a clear way to win and lose in the game.

In most 4X games, and strategy games in general, making a mistake or missing out on resources is just part of the process, it doesn’t mean you can automatically fail. But Relic Space is very clear about its win/fail states. You are seeking to reach 100 victory points by any means possible to win. The accumulation of victory points allows you as the player to complete research on new weapons, technology, ships, and other upgrades that will make your attempt at galactic conquest more feasible.

Combat Mechanics

If you’re interested in tactical combat and strategic decision-making during gameplay, Relic Space can end up being a lot of fun for you as a player. Combat is fun and fast-paced, but requires forethought and planning.

You have to decide what abilities to use, and when, because some weapons and skills that are available can be used freely, meaning they don’t require any resources or action points to use. Other weapons and abilities use up quite a few resources and can only be used once per turn, or once per combat sequence, so you have to be very careful about how you engage with combat. Movement and positioning are also key because the combat arena takes place on a hexagonal grid, and being as close to the enemy as possible can be a benefit because it can allow you to hit them much easier. However, the closer you are to the enemy, the closer they are to you, which means they can hurt you just as easily as you can hurt them.

In Relic Space, you’re required to consistently make choices that impact the lives of your entire crew, some of which are life or death. Some of those decisions could lead to a wealth of resources, or a lack of them that could cause serious issues down the line in terms of expanding your territory and also keeping your faction members happy. It’s even possible for the faction to be so unhappy with you that it tries to remove you from leadership by force.

Relic Space Story Review

Unfortunately, there isn’t very much in the way of story development when it comes to Relic Space. The general premise of the game is that the world you lived in got destroyed, so you and your faction set out amongst the stars looking for a new home. There are bits of exposition sprinkled throughout the game, and a few cutscenes here and there, but for the most part, the story is pretty bare bones for now. But we potential buyers have to remember the game is still in early access, so the game can and likely will continue to improve over time.

Relic Space Review: Graphics

Graphically speaking, Relic Space is beautiful. It has a simplistic but varied color palette that has a very futuristic/cyberpunk look to it. Bright, vibrant colors are everywhere. Neon pinks, greens, and blues stand out expertly against the black backdrop of space sprinkled with the white light of the stars you occasionally do combat near.

Combat is flashy and punchy, you can see the damage and wear and tear on your ship after extended periods of combat, and the same goes for enemy vessels. Firing missiles and lasers at an enemy is satisfying because of the visual response you get when an attack lands and you can see parts of the enemy vessel breaking away and falling into the void of space.

The menus are extremely well-designed and user-friendly. It's easy to navigate them and understand what each menu is asking you to do, and why. Which can be a rarity in 4X games due to their complexity. Most gamers find them to be overwhelming, but Relic Space has a balance between complexity and accessibility with its fantastic user interface design that's a joy to experience. Relic Space may not be the most graphically stunning game on the market, but it is beautiful, and I enjoyed the visual splendor it has on offer.

Final Thoughts:

Relic Space is one of the latest titles in the storied 4X genre of gaming. When a game is part of a genre like that, expectations can be high, and thankfully Relic Space doesn't disappoint. It's still an early access title, so new features are sure to be added in the future on its road to completion. But for now, Relic Space offers a compelling experience to anyone looking for tactical gameplay that goes above and beyond the typical conventions of the strategy genre.